NAERS Middle East is quietly confident of riding through the recessionary pressure that is being exerted by the global economic turmoil, thanks to its spirit of innovation and trendsetting projects that have firmly established the European aluminium systems specialist as a choice supplier in the region.

“We have set a sales target for ourselves for 2009, without making allowances for the financial crisis that is impacting the world,” Ali Khalaf, managing director of the Bahrain-based operation, tells Gulf Construction. “Of course, it won’t be as easy as the years 2006 and 2007 were for business, but nevertheless I am confident we will achieve our targets in 2009.”
Khalaf’s confidence springs from the fact that the Middle East operation of Belgium-based Reynaers has clinched some of the more challenging projects that the region has put on the market. Having successfully completed the Sports City-Qatar tower (Aspire Tower) in time for the Asian Games in Qatar two years ago, the company’s skills have been called upon for the equally challenging Ferrari World Theme Park in Abu Dhabi.
As with the Sports City tower, the Abu Dhabi project is to be implemented on a fast-track basis and requires bespoke solutions.
“We were awarded the contract on October 6, 2008 to provide customised solutions for the Ferrari theme park and have already started delivery for the project,” he says.
According to Khalaf, the main challenge was the short time frame allowed for the implementation of the project.
“The project has required the design of almost 30 new aluminium dies, 12 new gaskets and six to seven accessories,” he says. “To give an indication of the scale of the project, the project will use about 27,000 sq m of glass.”
Aluminium glazing systems are being utilised for a 100-m-diameter centrally-positioned funnel-shaped structure that descends from the roof into the interior of the theme park building. Here, the glazing system is positioned on top of a spaceframe. Most of the panels are trapezoidal and three-dimensional in shape which has been achieved by designing a special gasket, he explains. The entire façade – known as the ‘shield’ of the building, which sits under an expansive red-coloured metal roof – will be dressed in Reynaers CW86 unitised curtain-walling. Both the ‘funnel’ and the ‘shield’ comprise thermally-broken systems with one colour on the inside and another on the exterior.
The profiles were extruded in the region by Saudi-based Talco and sent for AWW (air-water-wind load) testing at Reynaers Institute in Belgium.
“The testing of the ‘funnel’ was done on November 7 while that for the shield was completed on December 12 and the first material was supplied by November 24. We are expected to complete delivery of our systems by April and the project is due to be completed externally in time for the Formula One race in Abu Dhabi,” he points out.
Apart from the Ferrari theme park, Reynaers has completed delivery of systems for the Etihad Terminal in Abu Dhabi, and landmark buildings such as the Ritz Carlton hotel, Executive Heights for Damac and Bayside Residence at Dubai Marina, all these prestigious project has been done by its partner Folcrabeach, which based in Abu Dhabi.
In Bahrain, the company has been involved with a range of developments including the Bella Vista residential tower in Mahooz (where curtain-wall installation is in progress), the Ministry of Electricity headquarters (curtain wall under fabrication), the 50-storey Era Tower in Seef and the 35-storey Kingdom Tower opposite Marina Club, for both of which Reynaers systems are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2009.
Among the projects that have been completed during 2008 are the Sitra and Najma clubs, Al Jowhara Centre and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB) and a 23-storey residential building in Juffair.
Through local aluminium fabricator Ashbee, Reynaers systems have also been fabricated in Bahrain and supplied for the Taj Residence in Goa, India.
“We have had another good year in Kuwait, where our systems have been supplied for the Lulwah Tower, the Behbehani Tower, Salmiya Hotel and other medium range projects,” he comments. “We have also secured major orders further afield. In Syria, for instance, our representative has secured a deal to supply Reynaers systems for four buildings that form part of an Emaar project while our fabricator in Qatar is working on an order for the Benghazi hotel in Libya,” he comments.
Speaking on the company’s business over the past year, Khalaf says: “Business was good last year although slow in terms of realisation of projects. This was because approvals of drawings were taking longer and the prices of building materials such as steel and cement, which were in short supply in the first half of the year, had skyrocketed.”
Aluminium fabricators – which are Reynaers clients – suffered as their production schedules were thrown awry by these project delays.
“Hence we are seeing projects that were earmarked for 2008 are now about to be launched in 2009,” he adds.
Khalaf continues: “While industry sources are pessimistic about the outlook for 2009, I have not felt a significant slowdown in Bahrain as yet. While 2009 will not be an easy year, I believe the existing projects that have risen above the foundation stage will go ahead as usual and will keep us and our clients busy.
“In the Gulf, it is Dubai that has suffered the most from the impact of the financial meltdown but I see the next year as a period of correction, when the more stronger and quality-focused companies will survive in the face of severe competition.
“We, at Reynaers, are ‘waiting and watching’ the market to see signs of the impact of the global slowdown, which I expect will happen in the transitional period within the next two to three months.”
Khalaf is also hopeful that investors will take advantage of the recent drop in property and building prices and have projects ready for the market by the time it picks up in 2011.
In the meantime, the company is bracing itself for greater competition and going into the market with greater strength through increasing its staff by 20 per cent, including technical, administrative and sales personnel.
The market, he says, is essentially price-conscious especially where developers are looking at selling their investment projects at a profit. “In light of these circumstances, we offer value engineering services to show the client what costs can be cut but without sacrificing quality,” Khalaf comments
Reynaers makes sure that it remains in constant contact with its approved aluminium fabricators in the region. Apart from having a sales manager based in the UAE, sales engineers from the Bahrain base visit the neighbouring GCC states every two weeks to meet existing clients and prospective ones and also try to get Reynaers products specified by architects.
Reynaers has also embarked on an innovative strategy that ensures that its products enjoy maximum exposure with architects.
Khalaf explains: “Through a programme which we call long-term sales, we approach clients and get involved at a very early stage of a project, providing them with all the assistance and specifications. So in fact, when tenders are issued, they include Reynaers specifications. This service has been warmly welcomed by architects.
“This apart, in October 2007, we reinforced our technical department with the addition of a member from Reynaers’ headquarters in Belgium. He provides his services for special projects requiring specialised solutions and his local presence has provided a considerable boost to our image in the market.”
To maintain its competitive edge in the market, Reynaers continues to introduce and upgrade its product range to cater to the demands placed by the new ultramodern developments in the region.
Among the systems released over the past year are:
• The BS100 brise soleil, with glass louvres;
• The BS40 sliding sunscreen system for apartments, houses and smaller buildings;
• The CW50-FP fire-proof, which comes as a further extension to its existing curtain-wall CW50;
• The CW60, which can integrate photovoltaic (PV) panels;
• The CS77-FP EI60 profiles for windows and doors, offering a 60-minute fire protection rating which comes as a further extension to its existing concept system CS77;
• Eco system, which now integrates a number of possibilities to offer one complete system; and
• CW86HI, CS86HI and the CS68HI, which also have been launched as high insulated systems.
To be released shortly is the CW65, a unitised curtain-walling system developed to meet the market demand for a price-competitive product, and the CP130 sliding doors and window system, which will be introduced as a mid-range system between the CP96 and the top-of-the-range CP155 systems.
Reynaers has also introduced systems that integrate smoke and heat evacuation and ventilation systems, in line with the European directive EN12101-2, which aims to facilitate the evacuation of people and minimise smoke and fire damage to building structures.
While offering high-end products, Reynaers realises the importance of ensuring that its staff as well as that of its clients are well-versed in the capabilities of the system and the fabrication and installation techniques to ensure the efficiency of the products once installed. Towards this end, the company conducts regular training sessions at its headquarters. These range in scope from basic training, which includes hands-on experience in the fabrication of a window, to sales, software and installation.
Reynaers headquarters, too, has been expanded to include further testing facilities. “We can now conduct six to eight AWW tests simultaneously, as well as mechanical endurance tests and have erected a new chamber to conduct acoustic tests,” he concludes.